It's been 30 years since Bernie Kosar and the Miami Hurricanes carved through old-school defenses with their innovative passing attack to win the school's first national championship—the first top-division football title for the state of Florida.

Howard Schnellenberger, the Hurricanes' mustachioed, pipe-smoking coach, had exploited the state's booming population to build a program that would go on to win or share four more championships. In the aftermath, two more powerhouse programs burst onto the Sunshine State scene: Florida State, which won national championships in 1993 and 1999, and Florida, which won in 1996, 2006 and 2008.

Since Miami's first title three decades ago, no more than four years have passed between national titles for Florida teams. The state's 10 championships in these 30 years are by far the most, outpacing Alabama's five titles—four for the Crimson Tide, one for Auburn. This season, though, would be the fifth straight without a championship for a team from Florida.

Enter the Seminoles, whose 41-14 drubbing of Miami in Saturday's top-10 clash in Tallahassee, Fla., left no doubt about the state's current heavyweight champion. FSU quarterback Jameis (rhymes with "famous") Winston—a redshirt freshman just as Kosar was during his 1983 championship season—dominated the Hurricanes despite two first-half interceptions. The Seminoles maintained their undefeated record and their No. 3 Associated Press ranking.

But it probably won't be enough to preserve Florida's impressive pattern of titles. Florida State will need a loss by one of the two schools that have altered the college-football landscape recently through investment and brilliant management: Alabama, the old stalwart, and Oregon, the young dandy. The formula that determines the Bowl Championship Series rankings and the teams' remaining schedules say that if the No. 1 Tide and No. 2 Ducks win out, they almost certainly will play in the BCS title game Jan. 6.

Saturday's win over Miami was enough to catapult Florida State into the No. 2 slot in the BCS rankings on Sunday night. But far from a crowning achievement, it's all more frustrating for the Seminoles because they know that Oregon will just retake the No. 2 spot if it beats No. 5 Stanford on Thursday.

Pity the Seminoles that college football's first playoff, a four-team version, begins after next season rather than this one. (Let's not get started on No. 4 Ohio State: At this point, its 9-0 record and $4 could barely buy it a latte at Starbucks). That an unbeaten team with Florida State's bona fides could be shut out of a title shot is precisely why the playoff was adopted (well, in addition to the TV-contract billions).

This year, a confluence of easy nonconference schedules and conference schedules lightened by the comings and goings of realignment has given us seven unbeaten teams in the top 25—including the top five teams. All Florida State can do is keep winning and wait for Alabama or Oregon to lose. This week may be the Seminoles' best hope: Oregon goes to Stanford on Thursday, and Alabama hosts No. 10 LSU on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Seminoles are benefitting from what has become a sound Sunshine State strategy. Florida's seven top-division football teams, three of them in major conferences, benefit from a statewide population that ranks fourth nationally with 19 million. The state basks in year-round warm weather that provides ample practice time for young players, and boasts a variety of locations and personalities to sell to out-of-state recruits.

Miami is the glossy, urban program with the renegade image, recently accepting NCAA sanctions after a convicted Ponzi schemer and Hurricanes booster plied players with thousands of dollars in gifts. The "U" is not all the way back to its heyday, but at least the worst of the NCAA sanctions are behind it.

Florida is the state's flagship university and birthplace of the mid-2000s legend of Tim Tebow. But this year's Gators are playing the role of exploding cigar: a preseason No. 10 team that lost to unranked Georgia on Saturday and dropped to 4-4.

Florida State is the 1980s and '90s powerhouse built with in-state talent—like Deion Sanders, Derrick Brooks and Marvin Jones—and fostered by coach Bobby Bowden's dadgum charm. Bowden's 34-year tenure as one of the winningest coaches in football ended with a 7-6 record in 2009, but fourth-year coach Jimbo Fisher has the Seminoles back in the title hunt with a stifling defense and Winston at quarterback.

Next to its rivals in the top 5, though, Florida State's schedule is thin: Its toughest remaining game is a probable rematch with the Hurricanes in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game on Dec. 7. It'll take a bit of luck for the Seminoles to get the chance to reassert the state of Florida as what the past three decades have shown it to be: an incubator of college-football championships.

Bigger question remains: will Oregon and Alabama win the rest of their games? These things usually have a way of working out. I would not at all be surprised to see Ohio State and Florida State in the BCS Championship game with one loss Oregon and Alabama back home (from their bowl games).

Rachel, I'll spot your four buck for a Starbucks coffee if you acknowledge the obvious: Ohio State, with seven national championships, has won more than any Florida team. It has appeared in more BCS games -- and won more -- than any Florida team. It is currently undefeated for the second year in a row, has one of the best quarterbacks in the country, and is coached by one of the nation's best questions.

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com.